Dylan Gulson aims to improve upon promising Toyota 86 Series campaign

DYLAN Gulson got a taste of success in last year’s Toyota 86 Series and he’s after a bigger share in 2017.

LET'S DO IT: Bathurst's Dylan Gulson begins his Toyota 86 campaign this weekend at Phillip Island. Gulson is aiming to improve on his ninth place finish from last year.

The Bathurst driver enjoyed a stellar back half of the previous 86 Series, to the extent he was named the Kaizen Award winner for the most improved driver.

Gulson finished the year in ninth place overall and was able to celebrate a round podium on his home track at Mount Panorama. As a bonus to his home-city success Gulson claimed the new race lap record of two minutes and 39.1671 seconds.

His quest for an even bigger and better championship begins this weekend at Phillip Island.

”Last year was a good springboard for what to expect this year. We went in with low expectations and came away with some great results,” Gulson said.

We’ve dialled down the ways on how we can tune the car better this year and how we can be better prepared for each round.

Dylan Gulson

“This year is all about challenging for podiums and potentially race wins.”

Phillip Island will be an exciting endeavour for Gulson and the rest of the field, as the circuit wasn’t included in last year’s 86 Series calendar.

“It’s an excellent track to race at. It’s fast, and a circuit that demands a lot of a driver,” he said.

“There’s a plenty of opportunities for passing and the 86’s should race well here with some high speeds in the corners.”

Gulson had a rough introduction to last year’s opening round, at Winton, where he achieved a best finish of 16th and failed to complete the third and final race of the weekend.

However, the season only got better from there. He scored his first top 10 next round at Sydney Motorsport Park, got as high as seventh at Sandown and found a runner-up race finish at Bathurst.

This time for Gulson it’s about being up the pointy end of the field from the get-go.

“We’ve dialled down the ways on how we can tune the car better this year and how we can be better prepared for each round,” he said.

“I always believed in my own ability and to put it all together at Bathurst last year and make that success happen took a lot of work. We have a lot of confidence that we can be up there again.

“To be up there fighting in out with a driver like Will Brown, who has now gone on to the Super2 Series, gives you a plenty of motivation.”